How Much Does Hang Gliding Cost?

Hang gliding is absolutely exhilarating. It’s something you don’t want to miss out on. We looked at every aspect of hang gliding to see how much it costs.

If you’re considering getting into hang gliding, then this is the site for you. One of the biggest barriers to entry into this amazing sport is the cost. Some people are afraid that it’s just too expensive to get into hang gliding so they never even give it a shot. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to break the bank to start hang gliding. Let’s look at what it really costs.

If you just want to go hang gliding on a tandem flight with someone else, it’ll set you back about $150 to $450 or so. To get into hang gliding yourself, you should expect to spend about $3,000 to $5,000 or more for lessons, a hang glider, harness, helmet, parachute, variometer, and more.

Hang gliding is a beautiful sport that allows you to soar through the air and take in stunning views. But before you can take flight, there are some costs that you need to consider. In this blog post, we will break down all of the costs associated with hang gliding so that you can have a better understanding of what you're getting into. From lessons to gear, we will cover it all!

Here at Flight Notch, we strive to provide you with nothing but the best, most helpful gliding and diving content that you’ll find on the web. As enthusiasts ourselves, we know just how important it is to get accurate information. To ensure this, we thoroughly research and vet all information and topics before publishing anything for you to read.

‍What Does Hang Gliding Cost?

Like most other similar sports and activities, hang gliding is going to cost you a bit of money to get into. Sure, you can just pay for a tandem flight and go hang gliding with a certified instructor or pilot, but we’ll talk more about that later on. First, I want to focus on the costs involved with getting into hang gliding yourself.

By that, I mean the costs associated with actually being able to get out there and start flying all on your own. So we’re going to look at things like hang gliding lessons, how much hang gliders cost, the prices of hang gliding harnesses, hang gliding helmet costs, the parachutes underneath the harnesses, variometers, and more.

Let’s dive in.

How Much Do Hang Gliding Lessons Cost?

If you want to learn how to fly a hang glider, you will need to take lessons from an instructor or attend hang gliding school at a certified training location. The cost of lessons varies depending on where you live and the experience level of the instructor. The single most important thing you should look for in an instructor or a school is if they’re certified by the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA).

Without getting too far into the details of what USHPA is, you can just think of it as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of hang gliding. While it’s not actually a government agency like the FAA, it’s the overseeing entity that sets the rules, regulations, and standards for all things hang gliding.

It’s easy to find a quality instructor or hang gliding school by visiting USHPA’s site. That’s a great place to start, but you can also just take a look around our site and look at the article where we dive into the best hang gliding schools in the country. Prices will heavily vary depending on school and instructor, but you can expect to pay a few hundred bucks at a minimum to get all the training that you need.

How Much Does Hang Gliding Equipment And Gear Cost?

Hang gliding lessons are just the basic cost that you’ll have to incur no matter if you’re going to be renting equipment or buying your own. But that should give you a big hint into what the other major costs involved are — the rest of the equipment! Many schools give you the option to rent your glider and equipment, but that’s not always possible.

So instead, let’s look at some of the major pieces of hang gliding equipment that you need and how much you can expect to pay.

Hang Glider Prices

The average price for a new hang glider is around $4,000 to $5,000. However, there are many different types of hang gliders on the market, so you may be able to find one that fits your budget. If you're just starting out, it might be a good idea to rent a glider instead of buying one. You can usually find rental companies near airports or flying clubs. Or you can consider buying a used one (which I strongly recommend!) for around $1,000 to $3,000.

Hang Gliding Harness Prices

The average price for a new hang glider harness is around $1,000 or so because you really want to pay a bit more for the ones that are custom-tailored to your body and your measurements. However, there are many different types of hang gliding harnesses on the market and their prices will vary based on size and brand. You can expect to spend anywhere from $100-$300 for a used harness with all of the bells and whistles (if you want them).

Hang Gliding Helmet Prices

You don't need a helmet when you're learning how to fly, but it's always good practice to wear one in case something goes wrong. The average price for a helmet is around $80 to $500 or more depending on your needs/wants! It's important that you choose wisely because if the helmet doesn't fit well, it could be dangerous in a crash.

Hang Gliding Parachute Prices

A parachute is not required when flying a hang glider, but it's always a good idea to have one just in case. The average price for a new hang glider parachute is around $300-500. However, there are many different types of parachutes on the market and their prices will vary based on size and brand.

Hang Gliding Variometer Prices

A variometer is an electronic device that measures your altitude and rate of ascent/descent while flying a hang glider. The average price for a new variometer is around $200-400. However, there are many different types of variometers on the market and their prices will vary based on size and brand.

Miscellaneous Hang Gliding Gear Cost

In addition to all of that equipment and gear mentioned above, there are some other things that you should think about buying before you get too far into your hang gliding journey. While this stuff isn’t absolutely essential, your experience will be much better all around with this gear!

• Gloves
• Goggles
• Radios
• Apparel

That should cover just about all of the gear you need to start hang gliding. There might be some other little things that pop up here and there, but those costs will likely be inconsequential to the costs of the major pieces of gear and equipment that we looked at here.

How Much Does Tandem Hang Gliding Cost?

I mentioned it briefly above, but this might be exactly what you’re looking for in this article — tandem hang gliding. If you’re just wondering about how much it costs to go hang gliding, rather than start hang gliding yourself, I’ve got you covered. As you could probably guess, tandem hang gliding is significantly more affordable than buying all of your own equipment, taking lessons, and soaring through the skies on your own.

Of course, hang gliding prices will vary depending on the location you’re flying at, how long of a flight you’re going on, and the company itself. But we can still get an average price from a few different companies to give you an idea of how much money you can expect to pay. On average, expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $450 for the complete experience. This cost is per person, so just multiply this number by how many people are in your group and there you go!

What Are Some Tips For Lowering The Cost Of Hang Gliding?

Hopefully all of the posts above haven’t turned you away from hang gliding, especially since it’s really not any more expensive than any other extreme aerial sport. But I know that it can still be expensive in a vacuum, so I’ve tried to come up with some ways that you can save a bit of money with hang gliding. Here are a few tips for lowering the cost of hang gliding:

• Rent equipment from a local flying club or airport instead of buying your own gear.
• Buy used equipment from online classifieds or swap meets.
• Join a flying club and share the costs of lessons and equipment with other members.
• Take lessons from an instructor who is willing to barter services in exchange for goods or services.

We hope this article has helped you better understand the costs associated with hang gliding. If you want to know anything more about hang gliding, check out some of the other articles on the site. If you have a question about hang gliding, chances are high that we'll have an article that answers it. We hope you decide to move forward with hang gliding and get into this incredible sport. It’s worth every penny!